


Set of Three

by casual_distance



Series: More Than One [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: (because Dean can't word), Child Abuse, Comfort, Communication, Communication Failure, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Shower Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 18:59:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6671011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casual_distance/pseuds/casual_distance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean didn't know how to take care of Gabe the same way he did Cas. He and Cas were so much alike, Dean had fallen into the habit of caring for him on his bad mood days effortlessly. Cas and Gabe had enough history that care was easy between them too. Dean and Gabe were still trying to find their footing around each other in this relationship, not certain to what extent they were compatible outside of sex.</p><p>---</p><p>Dean, Castiel, and Gabriel learn to make it work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Adding One More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean knows he can be oblivious, but it's hard to miss sometimes the way Cas and Gabe look at each other when the other can't see.

Castiel sat at the bar, feet tucked behind the rungs of his barstool, and watched Dean move around the kitchen. He filled a mug with coffee and passed it over to Castiel, who smiled gratefully as he wrapped his hands around it, enjoying the warmth.

"Hey," Dean said with a glance over his shoulder. "I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay." Castiel waited, watching as Dean plated their lunch and came around the counter to sit on the stool next to him. Castiel accepted his plate and started eating. Dean picked at his food for a minute before putting his fork down and turning to face him.

"So, listen," Dean started, then stopped, grimacing. "Look, I was just thinking. You miss Gabe, right?"

"What?" Castiel turned to stare at Dean. "What do you mean miss him? I just saw him yesterday."

"No, I know. I don't- I mean, look, I see how you look at him sometimes." Dean looked at him, his face a questioning look.

Castiel swallowed heavily and put his fork down. He pushed his plate away.

"I'm not- upset or- or anything," Dean hurried to say. "I just- I see it. I thought- I mean, do you ever think you'd try- with him again, I mean?"

"Try... a relationship with him?" Castiel asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. I know things with you guys were... well, needed some work, but if you still like him, would you try again?"

Castiel stared at Dean. He kept his face blank, but his stomach sank hard and fast. He swallowed back bile and turned to face the kitchen. He grabbed his mug again and curled his hands around it, clutching at it.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "If he understood why things ended the way they did, maybe. If that-" Cas stopped. Why was Dean asking him this? Why did Dean care?

"Okay. So if he did, you might be willing?" Dean didn't wait for a response. "I was thinking, that'd it be okay if you wanted to- uh- to, you know?" Dean sounded hopeful, but Castiel refused to look at him. He focused, instead, on the steam rising from his mug.

"To what?" Castiel prompted. His voice sounded far away, even to himself. Dean was quiet for a moment.

"To try again."

"Oh."

Castiel guessed he could. He'd never gotten over Gabriel, not really. He just... hadn't thought it would matter. He had thought things were going well with Dean. They got along. They had great sex. He loved Dean. Somewhere between that first kiss outside Aaron's house and this horrible, horrible morning, he'd come to love Dean so much it hurt. Castiel felt his jaw tremble and clenched it tightly so Dean wouldn't see, but he didn't notice the burn of tears until it was too late. He closed his eyes and swallowed back the sob rising in his chest. He scrubbed at his cheek and pushed the mug away, sliding off the stool.

"I see," he said. "Dean, if you don't want to be together, you can just say so." He spun on his heel and headed to the bedroom to get dressed and leave.

"What? No- Cas- why would- would you stop!" Dean grabbed his arm and spun him around. "I didn't mean that I wanted to break up."

Castiel glared up at him, twisting his arm free of Dean's hold. "Dean, you just told me to go after another man. That's a pretty clear message."

"What?" Dean frowned in confusion, reaching out again to grab Castiel's arm. When he tried to twist away again, Dean made an exasperated noise. "Cas! Stop! That's not what I was saying!"

Cas stopped fighting and glared at him. Dean took in the sight of his red eyes and sighed, the irritation dropping away from his face. He stepped into Castiel's space and cupped his face, thumb soothing over the tear tracks.

"It wasn't. Fuck, I'm messing this up. Cas." Dean floundered for a moment, but seemed to realize that Castiel wasn't leaving or fighting his hold anymore and wrapped his arms around him, pressing Castiel's face into his shoulder. "I swear, Cas, I don't want to break up. You're the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I just wanted to- I dunno, give you something."

"By telling me to date someone else," Castiel spat bitterly, trying to wiggle out of Dean's hold again.

"Yeah- No, Cas- Not instead of me! With me!"

Castiel stopped fighting Dean's hold and stared at him. "What?"

"Look, I did some research. On poly relationships."

Castiel blinked in surprise and then it clicked. He punched Dean in the stomach, just hard enough to wind him briefly. "You asshole! Start with that next time!" He jerked out of Dean's arms and walked to the living room to drop down on the couch, bracing his elbows on his knees and rubbing at his face.

Dean sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He tugged lightly and Castiel dropped his hands to let himself be pulled into Dean's embrace, face pressed into his neck.

"I'm sorry, Cas. I didn't mean to freak you out."

Castiel grumbled under his breath. He pushed away from Dean and shifted around on the couch, pulling a leg up and putting some space between them.

"Okay. Please explain- from the _beginning_ \- what this conversation is that we're having."

Dean grinned for a brief second before rolling his lips into his mouth to control it. He shuffled backwards so that he could mimic Castiel's position.

"Okay, well, after you told me about your parents and you and Gabe, I looked it up. I was reading a couple of things and found this one site that talked about various types of poly relationships. One of them mentioned that the people involved don't have to, uh, date each other or whatever. Some could just be friends." Dean rubbed a hand across the top of his head. "Anyway, I just started thinkin' about it. I mean, I do see the way you look at him, you know?"

Dean looked over to meet Castiel's gaze. Castiel flinched. "I'm-"

"No." Dean grabbed his hand. "Don't apologize. It's not- I mean, I've a couple like that. Ones you don't quite let go of. I get it. I just- he looks back. When you don't see."

Castiel blinked, surprised. "He does?"

"Yeah. And I think, I think he does get it. What went wrong. I think he just thinks that's all past."

"I told him it was," Castiel admits. "When I started dating you."

Dean nodded. "I don't... I mean, it's still sorta strange, but- I guess I'm just sayin' that if you want to have that conversation, Cas, we can."

Castiel stared at Dean, eyes flicking across his face. Dean was beautiful; Cas had always known that, always loved the green of his eyes and the way they crinkled with joy when he laughed. Loved the curve of Dean's mouth (even more the first time he'd seen it around his cock). Loved Dean's freckles and the way he blushed. Then he'd gotten to know Dean and all of that paled in comparison to who Dean was.

Dean, who was kind and cared so fully Castiel ached with it sometimes. Who put anyone at ease. Who loved kids and got down on their level. Dean who had raised his brother and loved him and was so proud of him you could hear it in the way he said Sam's name. Who never regretted the loss of his childhood if it meant Sam was safe and happy. Who sacrificed for his family without thinking twice.

Castiel leaned forward to press his mouth to Dean's. One more thing to add to the list: this man who loved so selflessly he was willing to learn about, to try something beyond his comfort zone. Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean's shoulders and tugged him down, dragging Dean against his body as he tipped back against the arm of the couch. Dean laughed into his mouth.

"Does this mean you're gonna talk to him?" Dean asked.

"Shut up about Gabriel," Castiel said as he slid his mouth over Dean's jaw. "I don't care about Gabriel right now."

Dean shoved his hands against the couch to leverage himself away from Castiel's body. Castiel groaned and twisted his hands into the fabric of Dean's shirt. "What is this then?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Dean. "This is me trying to fuck you."

Dean sputtered. "Cas!"

"You could fuck me if you wanted," he offered.

"But- Cas- what about-"

Castiel covered Dean's mouth with his hand. "Dean, if you say Gabriel's name anytime in the next hour or so, I will take personal offense to it."

Dean's eyes went wide, but he nodded.

"Now. Fuck me? Or fuck you?"

Dean groaned and dropped back against Castiel. "Fuck me," he breathed, catching Castiel's mouth in a deep kiss.

"Good." Castiel slapped Dean's flank. "To the bedroom with you," he ordered.

Dean scrambled off, tripping over his own feet twice before he disappeared into the bedroom. Castiel sat for a moment and grinned at nothing.


	2. Tipping Points

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean knows how to take care of Castiel, but he’s still learning with Gabe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a discussion about Gabriel's past, which involves his father's homophobia and child abuse (physical and emotional). There's also a brief mention of rape between people not in the fic.

Dean came home to find Gabe in his bed, legs splayed, pants open and pushed down slightly, intently reading a sex mag. Dean stared at him from the doorway for a moment before he shook his head and made his way to the closet.

"What're you doin' here, Gabe?" he asked, his voice muffled by his shirt as he pulled it over his head.

Gabe scoffed. "What, a boy can't take advantage of his sex toys after a long hard day on the job?"

Dean paused, hands on the waist of his pants, ready to push them down. Gabe's voice had a hard edge to it, one that Dean wasn’t familiar with. He took in Gabe where he sat, shoulders tight, limbs too-carefully positioned. He glanced down at Gabe's crotch, but Gabe wasn’t hard, not even partially. It was almost a sure sign that something was wrong when he was looking at hot people getting it on and wasn't getting off on it.

Dean hesitated. He licked his lips in thought. His first instinct was to call Cas. He didn't know how to take care of Gabe the same way he did Cas. He and Cas were so much alike, Dean had fallen into the habit of caring for him on his bad mood days effortlessly. Cas and Gabe had enough history that care was easy between them too. Dean and Gabe were still trying to find their footing around each other in this relationship, not certain to what extent they were compatible outside of sex.

As quickly as he thought of calling Cas, Dean dismissed the idea. Cas was working late and Gabe needed someone to care for him now.

With a deep breath, Dean moved to stand by the bed, taking the magazine from Gabe's hands and tossing it to the side.

"Hey!" Gabe protested, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Get naked," he ordered.

Gabe covered his chest and his crotch with his hands, curling one leg over the other and sending Dean a scandalized look. "I'm not that kind of girl!"

Dean snorted in amusement and pushed his pants and underwear down his legs at the same time. He glanced up to see Gabe watching with interest.

"I'm taking a shower, asshat, and you're joining me."

Gabe blinked in surprise. His eyes shot up to Dean's face. "What? Why?"

"Cause I said so." Dean kicked his pants to the side and toed off his socks. He left Gabe still sitting on the bed to dig through the linen closet for an extra towel.

Inside the bathroom, Gabe was leaning up against the sink naked. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked nervous right up until he saw Dean when he hid it behind a smirk. Dean pushed the towel into his arms and skirted by him to turn on the water. When it was warm enough, he stepped in and gestured for Gabe to follow. Dean turned him into the spray and Gabe sputtered as it poured into his face. Dean laughed, earning himself an angry growl. Gabe repositioned the shower head so that it sprayed against his chest and then stood there with his back to Dean. His shoulders were drawn up tight, the wings of his shoulder blades sticking out.

Dean considered for a moment before he grabbed Cas's shampoo and poured some into his palm. He hoped the scent of it would help relax Gabe the way it did for him sometimes when he'd had a bad day. Cas had asked once if Dean was using his shampoo, and Dean suspected his flushed face and refusal to look directly at Cas had given him away. Cas never asked again, but the bottle he kept at Dean's never ran out.

Gabe jumped when Dean started rubbing it into his hair but he didn't pull away or make Dean stop. After a moment, once the shampoo was lathered up and the scent of it filled the shower, Gabe sniffed loudly.

"Is that Cas's?" he asked.

"Yeah. Cas keeps it here 'cause he says mine dries his hair out."

Gabe chuckled. "Well his hair is mighty soft."

Dean snorted in agreement. Gabe's shoulders relaxed slowly as Dean washed his hair, scrubbing the shampoo in and raking his nails gently across Gabe's scalp. Gabe sighed and leaned into Dean's touch. Dean grinned to himself. He detached the shower head and rinsed Gabe's hair, then soaped up his hands and started a gentle massage on the knots in Gabe's back. Gabe dropped his head forward, lifting a hand to brace himself against the wall. He brought up his other hand when Dean applied more pressure.

Dean was working on the small of his back when Gabe asked, "What'd your dad say when you came out?"

"Uh... not much. He didn't really get it, but he didn't really care."

"Does he know about this?"

Dean shook his head, then said out loud, "No. I think this is.... a little beyond him. Hell, even Sam's weirded out by it and he's mister hippy."

Gabe snorted at that, rolling his head back and forth to stretch his neck. "My dad was pissed the first time he caught me with a guy," Gabe said after he dropped his head again. He sighed. "I burned down our backyard shed the month before and only got punched once for it. But findin' me holding hands with a guy." Gabe rubbed a hand over his face. "Broken arm and a week in the hospital."

Dean didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent. He kept his hands moving through, stroking over the skin of his back.

"Kinda fucked, isn't it?" Gabe asked as he pushed off the wall, his voice tinged with a self-deprecation that sounded like hate. "I got a brother in jail for raping a girl and my dad considers him more of a son than he does me just 'cause I'm queer."

Dean caught Gabe around the waist and pulled him back against him. Gabe turned his face away but he let Dean hold him. Dean set his chin on Gabe’s shoulder.

"Gabe, did something happen with your dad today?"

Gabe shrugged, nearly dislodging Dean. "Today, yesterday, every day. Says he's gonna disown me. Leave me on my own."

Dean tipped his chin down to press a kiss into Gabe's shoulder, closing his eyes against the emptiness in Gabe’s voice. "You aren't alone, Gabe. You got me and Cas. It's his loss anyway." He squeezed Gabe gently, hoping to convey the fact that while he might not be in love with Gabe, not the way he was with Cas, he still liked the guy, liked him enough to do this- to be this to him and for him.

Gabe's ribs heaved under his arms and then Gabe was spinning around to wrap his arms around Dean's neck, pulling him into a kiss. It was instantly hard and heavy, all teeth and tongue. Dean clutched at Gabe and let him shove him back against the shower wall. He groaned under Gabe's weight and Gabe moaned right back at him. Gabe shifted and Dean could feel him growing hard against his hip. Dean shuddered, his hips jerking forward at the feel of it. Gabe gave a dirty chuckle against his mouth and then he was kissing Dean again.

He moved too fast for Dean to try and keep up, hands and mouth everywhere. Once, that energy had intimidated Dean, but after seeing Cas ground it, bring it under control and transform it into a scary sort of intensity, he'd come to enjoy it. 

He gave up control to Gabe. Gabe knew the moment it happened, groaning low in his throat and grinding himself against Dean's hip. Dean let himself get lost in the steaming heat of the shower, in the heat and hard press of Gabriel's body, in the twist of Gabriel's fingers around his- their cocks. Before he could make sense of the sensations, Dean was coming, hips jerking against Gabe's, come streaking across his stomach. Gabe chuckled again, that same dirty laugh that tightened Dean's gut. He kept hold of Dean's cock while he jerked himself. Dean whined at the sensation and it was that noise, that wordless, pleading noise that had Gabe spilling between them too.

Dean tightened his hold on Gabe, resting his forehead against Gabe's shoulder despite the way he was still shuddering.

"Damn," Gabe whispered, sounding awed.

Dean laughed and lifted his head to kiss him. It was gentle this time, Gabe opening up to Dean and letting him lead. When Gabe pulled back, he grabbed the soap and cleaned Dean off, letting his hands work out any remaining tenseness from Dean's shoulders and back. He cleaned himself, fending off Dean’s attempts to help, and then they got out and dried each other off.

Gabe borrowed a pair of boxers, making faces at the offering of a shirt. He sat in the kitchen and cracked jokes while Dean cooked them dinner. At some point Cas texted to find out where he should go for the evening, and when he arrived at Dean's apartment later that night, he found Dean and Gabe curled up together in bed. Dean woke as Cas slid in behind Gabe, bracketing him with his body. Gabe didn't wake, not even when Dean shifted up to lean over him and give Cas a kiss.

"Is he okay?" Cas whispered. "He left me a message and sounded upset."

Dean glanced down at Gabe, stroking a hand across his shoulder in comfort. "Yeah, I took care of him," he said.

Dean looked up to find Cas giving him a soft, fond look. He leaned over to kiss Dean again, whispering against his mouth, "I love you."

Dean stifled a laugh. "Love you too."

Dean waited to settle back down until Cas had, curling closer to Gabe, his face against Gabe's neck. Dean lay back down and heard, as he's drifting off, Cas whisper the same to Gabe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it for now. I might write more, but only because I haven't written a fic with double penetration before and you know these boys would be all for that. ;)


End file.
